Decanter July 2020

MEET BORDEAUX’S ECO-WARRIORS Concern for the future in the face of climate change means a growing number of château owners are moving away from convention and adopting a raft of measures designed to protect the environment. Elin McCoy takes a timely look Photograph: Hemis/Alamy Stock Photo Seeing horses and weed-nibbling sheep in Bordeaux’s vineyards is no longer a surprise. Grass and wildflowers grow between rows of vines where once bare soil reigned and, happily, an ever-increasing number of winemakers no longer spray them with pesticides or herbicides. Though some wine lovers still think of the world’s largest fine wine region as wedded to a conventional past, I’ve been stunned in the past few years by the dozens of innovative ideas château owners are embracing to reduce their impact on the…

2017 revisited 2017 IN-BOTTLE UPDATE: BEST OF THE LEFT BANK With their barrel-ageing complete, Jane Anson revisits each new vintage in Bordeaux after the wines have been bottled. Approaching the 2017s with a little caution, she was pleased to find that there are ‘some great bottles’ to be found, albeit unevenly distributed around the regions. On the following pages, discover Anson’s top 38 Left Bank 2017 reds, all rated at 93 points or higher, along with her top-scoring dry white wines and Sauternes Photograph: Jean-Bernard Nadeau/Cephas ‘Frost was one part of the 2017 story, but this was no 1961, when freezing temperatures were followed by a perfect season’ Bordeaux’s 2017 vintage was an unusual one, by many different measures. First there was the frost, the effects of which ultimately led…

How they fared: Bordeaux’s top Left Bank communes in 2017 St-Estèphe Some of my most consistent re-scores were here – bearing in mind I was re-tasting the classified wines – and it’s definitely an area I would recommend looking at in the 2017 vintage. There is still austerity and a cool character in the fruit, and the alcohols are in general far lower than you will find in the St-Estèphe 2018 wines, but these are well-built, carefully constructed wines with lots to enjoy. Pauillac There are many excellent successes in this appellation, and it is almost certainly where I would suggest you look if intending to buy ‘blind’. Don’t expect blockbusters though – you will find dark autumnal fruits and firm tannins, but acidities can be higher, which can emphasise…

Bordeaux Left Bank 2017 in bottle: Anson’s top-scorers Starting with reds, wines are listed in descending score order, then alphabetically by producer; price guides shown are approximate, at time of writing. Wines are widely available across the market: for availability, please consult your usual specialist merchants Red 1 Château Latour, Pauillac 1CC 98 It’s fairly unusual in 2017 to find the bright blue-violet reflections around the rim of the wine that you find in years like 2010 and 2016, but it is here in abundance. Still extremely young, knitted, closed up and holding tight to its cassis and bilberry fruits at this point. This was the first year when Latour was working fully organically, although not certified until 2019. This is a big-framed Latour and will need at least a…

Producer profile CHATEAU LAFLEUR With a history stretching back several centuries and an understated yet focused approach to maintaining the highest standards in both vineyard and winery, Pomerol estate Château Lafleur is a producer to seek out. Jane Anson reports Photograph: Alexandra Lebon ‘We don’t artificially crop low, but our vineyard naturally gives around half a bottle of wine per vine’Omri Ram Within five minutes of arriving for my first visit to Château Lafleur back in 2010, I was crouched down alongside a random (to me, although definitely not to then-owner Jacques Guinaudeau, who was explaining its importance) Cabernet Franc vine, hands by turn in the soil then examining the leaves, nodding away vigorously. Many of us know that Pomerol has its own rules that operate on an entirely different…

Château Lafleur: a timeline 15th century First records of a Lafleur plot within Domaine de Gay Mid-19th century Village of La Fleur recorded, with a farmhouse that grew vines Photographs: Alexandra Lebon 1872 Henri Greloud (the owner of nearby Château Le Gay and great-great-grandfather of Jacques Guinaudeau) purchased a small plot of vines from a Monsieur Bernier 1915 André Robin, nephew of Greloud, becomes owner 1946 Marie and Thérèse Robin inherit the estate from their father André 1982 Moueix family begins looking after the property 1985 Jacques Guinaudeau begins renting the vines after the death of his great-aunt Thérèse Robin, taking over from the Moueix family 1987 First vintage Les Pensées de Lafleur (no Lafleur made) 1999 Soil study shows 13 different soil types on the Château Lafleur estate 2001…